Chapter 9

Tristan acted first and jumped at me. I side stepped him and shifted. I had to get the other wolves down before I could fight Tristan or else they would jump me. I ran at the first wolf who didnt even have time to shift before he was on the floor. The next wolf was less easy but I managed. I took them down. One by one. Each one got a little harder since they were more prepared but I knew I was the only one who could protect Misa and Mason. By the time I was finished with the ten wolves I was drenched in blood. I should have felt bad but I was elated.

I turned back to Tristan who was gaping at me. And I realized it had been only a minute. Only a minute and I tore apart ten wolves. Misa was by Masons body. She was bleeding horribly too. I had to protect her. Tristan was looking at me like I was a stranger.

"I guess losing your mate broke you Amora. I always knew you were too weak to survive your mate dying." His laugh rang out. But he was wrong. Weaker wolves did go insane when they lost their mate but I wasn't insane. "And to think father thought killing Mason and shipping you off the the alpha of the east would work. You're too weak for that."

"I'm not insane." My voice came out barely more than a whisper. "I'm just finally not being held back by fear. You and father always knew that if I trained I would be stronger than you both and you got rid of mom for trying to train me. Admit it Tristan. Admit you're the weak one. Admit you are a coward. So cowardly you had to ambush my mate with dozens of wolves to take him down because you were too scared to fight him yourself. Admit you betrayed our MOTHER so you would always be superior."

I locked eyes with Misa. She nodded and pulled Mason to her. I faced Tristan again as Misa began dragging Masons body back to the pack.

Tristan didn't say anything. He had won anyway. My packs alpha had died. Me and Mason didn't have children. I was no longer a luna. Misa would take over the pack with Emerson. My heart throbbed thinking of my mate, and of Misa who never wanted to take over the pack because she knew what that meant.

I looked down at my blood coated hands and body. Tristan didn't move and for a second I didn't know if he was breathing.

"I am not insane. I am in pain but I have been in pain for years because of you. I was the cruel alphas mate for a reason Tristan. How could I be his mate if I was not equally as cruel?"

I shifted and jumped at him before he could register what I had said. He slid to the side and jumped back.

"The Amora I knew would never have done this, you've killed people. Don't you realize that?!"

'I do. Don't you realize that the Amora you knew is gone?! You killed her and you're pathetic for trying to act like the victim and like I'm in the wrong.' I linked him.

I ran at him but this time he didn't dodge in time. I threw him to the floor. He scrambled out from under me. His hand came up to his head and lowed with blood. He looked to me and held out his hand as though I would feel bad for the damage I had done.

I jumped again but this time he shifted and bolted through the woods. I ran after him. I could easily catch up. I needed to. To avenge Mason. My foot stumbled at the thought of him and sent me barreling into a tree. My head smacked down hard against the tree. My vision spotted and I passed out.

I woke up later. I didn't know how long it had been but it was almost sun down. I shifted to my knees and felt my head. I cursed. Tristan had gotten away. Some part of me was relieved because he was my brother but the other part was pissed that I didn't kill him.

I got to my feet slowly. I swayed a bit so I had to grab onto the tree. My blood was on the bottom of the tree from where I hit my head. I was still covered in blood from the wolves I had kill and a bit of my own blood from my head.

Part of me wondered why Tristan didn't kill me while I was passed out but I didn't have time to wonder. I pushed off the tree and began limping back to the pack. I had to make sure Misa was safe and the pack was intact. Mason always put Misa and the pack over himself. I needed to do it too. I was slow. Too slow. I was still dizzy and in pain from the head injury and I had damaged my foot when I fell.

Misa and Masons blood was still fresh in the woods along with a couple others from the pack. Breathing became hard as the reality and cold hard truth smashed over me. Now that Mason was gone and Misa was the alpha was she going to kick me out of the pack? Would she hate me for not getting Tristan? I felt empty. My only emotions stemmed from the empty hollow place in my chest. Mason. How could I survive without my mate? How could I live knowing I would never love like I loved him. Never feel the sparks. Never hear his voice?

I knew second chance mates were a thing but did I want one? Did I want to feel as attached as I did to Mason to some other random male? Ice coiled around my stomach as I finally approached the pack house. The entire pack was outside the pack house kneeling before the house. I stumbled and limped my way up. No one looked up at me. They kept their heads down in mourning. I wasn't sure anyone even noticed me walk into the house.

Noise erupted as soon as I opened the door. Misa and Emerson along with the doctor were screaming. I broke into a limping sprint through the house until I came to the hall of the pack doctor. I gripped the wall for support as I stumbled towards the room.

Misa's voice came first.

"I'll find her! She has to be alive! She took out ten wolves without a scratch!"

"Why did you leave her in the first place?!" A loud a strained voice demanded from the corner of the room. I froze.

Mason. He was alive. Tears began flowing down my face for the first time since I thought he died. Anger had kept me going. But here he was. Alive. Hurt but alive.

"We thought you were gone! She told me to get your body here and I did! She saved your life regardless! If I didn't bring you the doctor wouldn't have realized you were alive and helped you!"

"IM GOING TO FIND HER!" Mason screamed.

"You are too hurt alpha!" the pack doctor Nala said.

"She is my mate and I can't feel her! I need to find her."

"She probably cut off the link when she thought you died brother! I will find her I promise you."

I finally stumbled into the door way. Misa noticed me first as Masons head was down. She stumbled back a step.

"Mason..." she muttered.

"Not now Misa. I don't care I'm going to find her-"

He cut his sentence short when he saw me. My feet moved of their own accord. I ran over to him with no limp like just being around him had made it go away.

I opened our link and wrapped my arms around him. Sparks ignited over my body. Mason pushed me back a bit to look at my body. I was still covered in blood. I looked back to the others in the room but they were already exiting.

"Mason..." I murmured as I put my head into his neck.

"I know." He pulled me to him so I was straddling him.

I tried to get off so I didn't hurt him but he held me firmly and rubbed his face in my neck. I held his head to me tightly, he was my lifejacket and the only thing keeping me from breaking.

"Don't ever do that again."

He nodded his head and pulled back to look me in the eyes. His beautiful hazel eyes looked deep into mine.

Before I knew what happened he fell back in the bed. We were perfectly content to lay there. Resting in each other's arms. Letting that mate bond strengthen between us once more.